...prior to harvesting it. There’s a contraption off at the far right that looks like a horse-drawn ice-cutter to me. I’d say Jamaica Pond too, since the Jamaica Plain Ice Company harvested ice there in the 1870’s. The house in the background also looks vaguely like the Perkins Estate,, Pinebank, which was demolished about 10 years ago.

It looks like rather than cutting the ice, they are performing the first step in the process which is removing the snow from the ice prior to scoring it. The Jamaica Plain Historical Society has an article about the whole process.

This photo appears to be rotated clockwise from level by about 12°. [Determined by measuring the edges of the building, and separately, many of the trees. The average vertical slope for the trees closely matches that of the building. Also, the legs of the horses and the midsections of the people standing exhibit slopes of about the same amount (although given their relative size and the obscuring effect of clothing, this data is less clear.]

That would mean that the top of the hill is actually closer to level and the field upon which the people are arrayed is actually level/sloping very gently down to the left.

I don't know if this will help anyone make a better ID, but I figured it was worth sharing.